Condenser construction for clothes dryers



Dec. 12, 1961 CONDENSER Filed July 2, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 F 1G. I

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RICHARD H. LEONARD syw z H [5 ATTORNEY Dec. 12, 1961 R. H. LEONARD 3,012,333

CONDENSER CONSTRUCTION FOR CLOTHES DRYERS Filed July 2, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIGZ INVENTOR.

RICHARD H. LEONARD HIS ATTORNEY Dec. 12, 1961 R. H. LEONARD CONDENSER CONSTRUCTION FOR CLOTHES DRYERS Filed July 2, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR.

RICHARD H. LEONARD BY MP 4W? H ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofitice 3,012,333 Patented Dec. 12, 1961 3,012,333 CONDENSER CONSTRUCTION FUR CLOTHES DRYERS Richard H. Leonard, Moorestown, N.J., assignor to General Electric (Zompany, a corporation of New York Filed July 2, 1958, Ser. No. 746,296 1 (Ilaiin. (ill. 3475) This invention relates to clothes drying machines, which dry the clothes by heat to cause vapor migration out of the clothes, and more particularly to an improved construction for condensing the liquid from the moist air after it has absorbed vapor from the clothes in such machines.

The general practice in domestic clothes drying machines is to effect their drying action by evaporating the liquid out of the wet clothes as they are tumbled in a basket; the warm moist air which absorbs the vapor in many such maclu'nes is subsequently de-humidified by contact with cold water. In order for the cold water to have the optimum condensing efiect, it is important that as much surface area of the water as possible enter into contact with the air. One commonly provided means of achieving this is to form the water into a thin sheet. Another approach is to form the water into a spray which passes through the air to be de-humidilied. Either way, the air which comes into contact with the water is cooled to its dew point so that the moisture in the air is condensed out of it. Of course, the more efiective the condensing action of the water in drying the air, the more eifective the air is in'removing moisture from the clothes i it is heated and reused; if the air is exhausted within a building, then the extent of objectionable humidity increases therein is dependent on the condensing action. Accordingly, it is important that the condenser arrangement be as effective as possible in utilizing the coolness of the water to cool the air as much as possible.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide condenser means for a clothes dryer which will be highly efiective in the cooling and drying of the air after it has passed over the clothes.

A further object of the invention is to achieve the desired condensing effect by providing a highly turbulent area wherein the turbulene of the air and of the water is such that there is thorough contact between them, with the water being broken into extremely small globules and consequently being particularly effective to cool the air.

In carrying out the invention 1 provide, in a clothes dryer, a clothes receptacle with the usual suitable openings provided therein to allow for passage of heated air into and out of the receptacle. Conduit means are provided having the inlet end communicating with the receptacle so as to receive the air after it has passed through the basket. The conduit means include a substantially vertical section. Air circulating means are provided for moving air over heating means into the receptacle, and then into the conduit means and up through the vertical section thereof. Within the vertical section, I provide my improved moisture condensing means which includes suitable water supply means for supplying the necessary flow of cool water. In combination therewith I provide means for distributing the water which comes from the supply means; the distributing means may take the form of, for instance, a bafile over which the water is spread v section rather than flowing down the walls thereof. I also provide a battle in the vertical section of the conduit which is below the spreading means; this bafile extends across a substantial part of the opening of the conduit means so as to effect a substantial increase in the velocity pressure of the air which is being moved up by the air circulating means. The elfect of this increase in velocity pressure of the upwardly moving air, together with the distribution of the water dropping down, is a substantial amount of turbulene in the area where they meet above the bafile, the falling water encountering the rapidly moving rising air and being broken up into very small droplets to provide very intimate contact of the water with the air. This provides optimum effectiveness in cooling the air and removing the moisture therefrom.

The subject matter which I regard as my invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of this specification. My invention, however, both as to organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a rear elevational view of a combination washer-dryer including my new and improved condensing arrangement in one form thereof, the view being partly broken away and partly in section in order to illustrate details;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view, also partly broken away and partly in section, of the machine of FIG. 1;

MG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view, partly in section and similar to that of FIG. 1, of my improved condensing structure; and

FIG. 4 is a view along line 44 in FIG. 3.

Referring now to the drawings, I have shown therein a combination washer-dryer 1 which is constructed and arranged so that it proceeds through a sequence of operations, first washing the clothes placed therein and then drying them. The machine is of the horizontal axis type, that is, it includes a clothes basket 2 which is rotatable about a generally horizontal axis. Basket 2 is formed with a plurality of perforations or openings 4 to allow communication between the space inside the basket and the space outside the basket. The basket is rotatably supported in tub 3 by a horizontally extending shaft 5 which is mounted on an elongated bearing 6 (FIG. 2) hung from the rear wall of the tub structure. Shaft 5, as well as supporting basket 2, also serves to drive it during the operation of the machine. The basket is loaded and unloaded through an opening in the front wall thereof which is aligned respectively with openings in tub 3 and the outer appearance cabinet 7 of the machines. A hinged door 8 mounted on the appearance cabinet seals around the tub opening so as to close off the tub and basket during operation of the machine.

The imperforate tub or casing 3 and the appearance cabinet 7 are both mounted on a suitable base structure 9 at the bottom of the machine. The tub specifically may be mounted thereon by means of a plurality of brackets or arms 10 which are secured to an upstanding plate 11 fixedly attached to the base. In addition to.the tub and the appearance cabinet, base 9 also mounts basket drive means which includes a motor 12 and a multi-speed transmission 13. The motor drives the transmission assembly by means of a belt 14, and the transmission assembly in turn drives basket 2 through a belt 15 which turns a basket drive pulley 16 mounted on the outer end of shaft 5.

Transmission assembly-13 is shiftable between two different gear ratios so that the basket may be driven at one speed for tumbling clothes during washingand drying and at a second or higher speed for centrifugally extracting water from the clothes subsequent to washing and prior to drying. Clothes tumbling speed may, for example, be about 47 r.p.m., and the centrifugal extraction speed about 250 r.p.m. The means whereby the transmission is shifted between the lower and higher speeds may, for instance, comprise a solenoid operated plunger (not shown).

As mentioned above, machine 1 is a combination washer-dryer, that is, it proceeds through a cycle of operations, first Washing and damp drying the clothes then,

if desired, completely fiufi drying the clothes. Clothes basket 2 is driven at its slower speed both for washing the clothes and for tumbling them during the drying operation. It is driven at the higher speed for extracting wash and rinse water from them by centrifugal extraction. .The means for achieving'this sequence form no part of the present invention; since such means are well known to those skilled in the art, they are not described herein.

To heat the clothes during the fluff drying operation, there is provided in the machine a heater assembly, generally indicated at 16a. This heater assembly is mounted at the upper end of a conduit, generally; indicated by the numeral 17, which is formed by a wall 18 of the tub and by an inner wall 19 which may, as shown, be secured to the tub at 20. The conduit 17 includes a generally vertical portion 20a for a purpose which will be explained more clearly hereafter; the enclosure of the space within the Y conduit is completed by bending wall 18 of the tub around to form wall sections 21 and 22 (FIG. 4) joining depending member 19. Secured to the inner depending member 19 at different levels of the vertical section 2011 of conduit 17 are baffles '23 and 24. Also secured within the conduit 17 above the vertical section 20a is an air circulating blower member 25 which may be driven by any suitable means (not shown). The blower is rotated in the appropriate direction to pull air up through conduit 17 in the direction of the arrows in FIG. 1 so that after the air has circulated within the basket 2 it leaves the basket through the perforations 4 thereof, flows into conduit 17 at its lower end 26, and then passes through the conduit, through the blower, over the heating unit 1611 so as to be heated thereby, and back into the basket 2 through the perforations 4. V v

The means whereby water is admitted to and discharged fro'mtub3 during operation of the machine includes connections 27 and 28 through which hot and cold .water are respectively supplied to the machine for the washing operation. A valve controlled by a solenoid 29 admits hot water to the machine and a valve controlled by a solenoid 30 admits cold water to the machine. The hot and cold water valves under the control of the solenoids 29 and 30 discharge through a common outlet conduit 31, through a suitable air gap into a funnel 32, and thence into a line 33 which leads to a sump 34 mounted at the bottom of the tub. The sump is connected to the interior of the tub by a suitable aperture (not shown) in the tub bottom; when water is supplied to the sump by the inlet water valves, the water rises upwardly into the tub through the aperture to fill the tub. In the illustrated machine, a pressure actuated sensing device, or water level control 35, "controls both solenoids 29 and 3% to maintain the proper water level in the machineduring the washing operation.

water during the drying cycle for condensing the moisture extracted from the wet clothes. Specifically, cold eondenser water is admitted to the machine from the cold water conduit 28 during the drying cycle by means of a valve controlled by a solenoid 40 which is energized during the drying operation so that the valve it controls passes water at a slow rate sufficient to condense the moisture extracted from the clothes. My invention contemplates that the water is passed from the valve controlled by solenoid 40 through a conduit 41 whence it discharges through an air gap into a funnel 42 which is provided, as is funnel 32, to prevent any possibility of a syphoning action causing the water to fiow back into the water supply system. From funnel 42 the condenser water enters a conduit '43 which passes through the exterior wall 13 of conduit 17 and has a downwardly extending discharge opening 44 as shown. Outlet 44 of conduit 43 is positioned directly over flange 23 so that the water leaving the conduit 43 is distributed over flange 23 into a rela tively thin sheet which flows over the edge of the flange,

dropping down within the conduit as opposed to flowing down the walls thereof. The purpose of the flange 23 being positioned below'outlet 44 of the condenser conduit 43 is to distribute the water; it will of course be understood that this can also he etfected by appropriate iorma tion of the outlet 44 of conduit 43 into a suitable nozzle so as to break the'water up into small particles or into a thin sheet. However, the arrangement of the baffie below the opening provides the desired distributing result Without the criticality of dimensions which a nozile generally requires to eifect the desired purpose.

It will thus be seen that the water flowing down over the edge of flange 23 is in the form of relatively fine droplets or a fine sheet. In the space above flange 24 the distributed water encounters the upwardly moving air, as shown by the, arrows in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4. The velocity of this air is accelerated by the very limited area through which it is obliged to pass in conduit 17 in order to get past bafiie 24. The velocity pressure of the air coming over bafiie 24 is such that it overcomes the weight of the fine droplets of Water spilling down from baffle 23. This results in an area above baffle 24 Where there is extreme turbulence, with the air and water mixing to a very substantial extent to utilize to the utmost the cooling and condensing properties of the water. This turbulence may be increased even further, it so desired, by providing a generally scalloped effect at edge 45 of baflie 24 to preclude any tendency of the air to flow smoothly upward. The droplets of water then pass down over the batfie 24; the upwardly moving air eventually passes up over the baffie 23, is p'ulled'through the blower, and passed over the heatingelement 16a to be heated so that dry hot air flows into the basket for'drying purposes.

It will thus be seen from the foregoing that the invention provides an improved arrangement for effective utilization of the condenser water in effecting condensing of the moisture from the air after it has passed through the basket. It will readily be understood that while, in the illustrated construction, the air is reheated to be reintroduced into the clothes basket, the invention is also advatageous where; after the water is condensed from the air, the air is then exhausted. i

While in accordance with the patent statutes I have described what at present is to be considered the preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the invention, and it is therefore aimed in the appended claim to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:.

In a combination clothes washing and drying machine: a rotatably mounted substantially cylindrical perforated clothes receptacle, an imperforate liquid receptacle surrounding said clothes receptacle and being formed to retain liquid therein for the washing of clothes in said clothes receptacle; means for rotating said clothes receptacle at a speed appropriate to tumble clothes therein; an inner imperforate wall extending upwardly around one side of said clothes receptacle in spaced relation thereto between said clothes receptacle and said liquid receptacle, said inner wall and said liquid receptacle forming together a generally vertically extending conduit open at its bottom and at its top; air heating means adjacent the top of said conduit; air circulating means in said conduit for moving air up through said conduit over said air heating means into said clothes receptacle and back in through the bottom of said conduit; and moisture condensing means in said conduit comprising water supply means, means for distributing the water from said supply means, said supply means and said distributing means being arranged to cause a substantial part of the water to drop down in said conduit as opposed to flowing down the walls thereof, and a bafile in said conduit below said distributing means, said bafile being secured to said inner wall and extending outwardly toward said receptacle substantially across the width of said vertical conduit and having a free outer end spaced from said receptacle thereby to increase the velocity pressure of the upwardly moving air to the point where there is substantial turbulence as the falling water encounters the rapidly moving rising air; said distributing means comprising a second bafile secured to said inner wall, said second bafile extending outwardly toward said receptacle substantially across the width of said vertical section and having a free outer end spaced from said receptacle, said free end of said first bafile being positioned substantially vertically below said free end of said second baflle, said second baffle being positioned below said supply means so that a substantial part of the liquid from said supply means is distributed over said second baflie prior to flowing over the free end thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,316,491 Teichner Apr. 13, 1943 2,675,628 ONeil Apr. 20, 1954 2,843,943 Geldhof et a1. July 22, 1958 2,856,699 Frey Oct. 21, 1958 2,883,170 Trittipoe Apr. 21, 1959 2,899,816 Jacobsen Aug. 18, 1959 

